Civil, Erudited Debate From A Yale Official: "Are You Retarded?

The nails symbolized the Taliban's habit of yanking out the fingernails of women who'd pained their nails whorish colors, which quite frankly I like. The whorish colors, I mean. Not the yanking out of fingernails, although I suppose it's okay between two consenting adults.

And the Ugly was from a Yale Development Office Assistant Director, Alexis Surovov (Yale â€™02), who sent us a love note entitled "Y Do You Hate Yale?":

What is wrong with you? Are you retarded? This is the most disgraceful alumni article that I have ever read in my life. You failed to mention that you've never contributed to the Yale Alumni Fund in your life. But to suggest that others follow your negative example is disgusting.

Mr. Surovov didnâ€™t sign his e-mail, and he sent it through a Columbia account. After Debbieâ€™s husband, a Yale Computer Science graduate, traced it back to him, Clint called him at his Yale office on Thursday to ask if he really thought we were retarded.

"Personally, thatâ€™s how I feel about it," he said. He didnâ€™t approve of our "terrorist tactics" and when asked whether he really meant that, changed it to "terror tactics." He thought the red fingernails we advocated sending in were "a stretch," and a bit gruesomeâ€”"like something out of Quentin Tarantinoâ€™s movie Hostel." [Which is a horror film about backpackers being brutally tortured and killed.]